Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Can you not just trim the longer side a bit?

Well, that would make sense.
The longer side looks right, though... :rotfl:

The meeting at work was better than I'd expected. The people who had injuries last week are both looking better, and my manager was kind enough to say I was right about something where he had been convinced the opposite was true. It was about payment of a small amount for unsocial hours and is going to net me about £1.25 for September, but you know... it's the principle of the thing. :rotfl: Actually it comes to more than £1.25, partly because it's something I'd been claiming since Adam was a lad so I'm glad I don't have to pay it back, and also I discovered a lot of my colleagues hadn't claimed as they assumed the same as the manager did - so they should get a little extra in future too.
I've been to the shops twice: walking back the first time I was thinking the weather was about right for a run, but then I remembered running stuff in the wash... and when I got home I'd forgotten bin bags so out I went. I may not have run, but I did get extra steps in.

This evening is, as they say, a dark and stormy night. I've done a little of my FutureLearn course but wasn't concentrating too well. DS2 has gone out to his night shift armed with croissants from me. Who knows if he'll feel like eating them? I found my appetite changed when I did nights and some treats just didn't appeal. DH has also shown me how to scan photos: I found a delightful one of my parents' neighbour with her parents and wanted to send her a copy.

I bought a curry sauce for tea but DH is still feeling a bit under the weather so we had a pasta meal that won't make his symptoms worse, meaning the food spend has been more than normal. However the curry is in a jar and will wait. DH has lost weight and now weighs the same as me, but that's not too bad as there's more of me than I intended. It suits him, but he shouldn't lose any more and his condition can lead to rapid weight loss, so he's having extra calories.

Tomorrow DH is likely to speak to his manager and tell her he's planning to put in his notice. It's a big step, though he doesn't intend to go till the end of the financial year. It gives a bit of time for him to recover physically (he is likely to start a new treatment when he sees the specialist next week) and look out for something else, though I think it's the wrong side of Christmas for many jobs to come available.

Spending:
e-book £0.99
Mortgage £150.00
Housekeeping £13.15
MS
Hot chocolate and coffee sachets on offer.
10th coin into savings = 20p
Decluttering:
Finished some spring greens from the freezer.

Today I'm thankful for a talk with DH which is slightly helping me get my head round clearing Mum's old house.

in_need_of_direction

Is there a medical retirement option for dh?

Cherryfudge

Thanks, INOD, I did wonder about it. He says it's hard to get, but I will ask him to mention it to the consultant. A friend ended up retiring on medical grounds though she fought against it, so it can't be impossible.

redofromstart

It depends on the type of scheme usually, final salary ones sometimes have two options which are full ill health (not going to work in any form ever again) and partial (not going to be able to do the current role again which is easier to show) so its always worth asking. Some expect you to have exhausted company sick pay before you can claim. May need the support of current employer to claim as in some situations they have to pay an extra contribution into pot. Certainly worth asking questions at work and with his consultant before he puts his notice in.

Cherryfudge

Thanks redo, I'll hand that over to him.

His meeting wasn't brilliant today. He told me he'd save telling her he was going till he could do it from a position of strength rather than on a bad day. At least we have the weekend now so we can unwind.

As for me, it's been a usefully unwindy sort of day, partly because the weather is so cold and wet. J and L both popped in separately and I hushed them madly so DS2 could get his sleep. As it was, I think he set some sort of nightshift worker's record: usually you get anything up to six hours, often less in my experience. He went to bed at 8.30 this morning and was just up when I got back from the shops about half past five. He was taking A and H to the station to go on their hols and hadn't even eaten... however he said he'd have time after dropping them off and before work. Then off he went.

We had a sudden deluge about 2pm and water came through the bay window roof. Thankfully I saw it and got a bowl. We really need that roof resurfaced but the roofer has disappeared into the ether again without ever sending the quote he said he'd give us for it.

DH and I slumped in front of the telly for a while then I made two batches of muffins to use up ingredients, and that's about it for the day.

Spending:
Clothes (insoles) £1.50
Medical (electric toothbrush heads - they are so expensive!) £12.65
Household (year planner) £1.00
Housekeeping £9.15 Balance now £4.11 So I'm not going to be under £30 this week.
MS:
Used up eggs and bananas in baking rather than waste them. Also saves us buying cake this weekend.
Mended two pairs of DH's posh socks rather than buy more just yet.
2 x £2 coins into savings
10th coin saved = 20p
Decluttering:
See bananas above.

Today I'm thankful for DS2 getting a good sleep and for a quiet day in.

Cherryfudge

A bit of blue sky this morning! Isn't it odd how grey weather seems to have gone on ad infinitum when you have it but disappears so totally when the sun comes out? Maybe that's just me. The ground is sodden but we are well north of the worst affected areas. Feeling bad for Sheffield (a city I know slightly) and Derbyshire with all the flooding. Also for Australia with the bush fires. Why can't they have our extra rain?

I am having a lazy Saturday morning looking at a bit of money saving.

I've reduced our (already small) milk delivery as we aren't getting through much. I've been looking into the evidence for a more plant-centred diet so a plant milk might be a good option. I really dislike the fact that cattle are just milk machines... when I was a kid I remember asking my mum about the cows I could hear calling on a nearby farm after being separated from their calves. Inhuman... or, sadly, very human.

So that's one area addressed. The other is changing my dentist. The one I have habitually gives an extra clean and charges £40 for it. At first I was a bit put out by this but followed his advice on cleaning. Then the next year his 'clean' was very brief as I'd obviously addressed the issue - but I still got charged. Why pay for something I've not been asked about and which apparently wasn't required? I can see a dentist might need to advise extra cleaning but not just give it, even if it's standard practice. Then I discovered a colleague goes to the same dentist and had complained because he had done the scale and polish then cancelled her booked appointment with the hygienist without consulting either of them, which to me is just money-grubbing however good he is. Oh, and he replaced a filling for me last time which he said he'd been keeping an eye on for a while, though he'd never mentioned it, and I developed a sensitivity afterwards that has actually stopped me eating some things. (moan, moan, sorry!)

I've looked into booking with DH's dentist but the website isn't clear on all options so perhaps I need to make time to speak to them.

I've made myself a GP appointment for a nagging sore throat. If there's anything to worry about I am better getting it looked at.

This afternoon we actually have time off together. We thought we might go to see a film but there's nothing that appeals so we might try to make further inroads into DH's job situation

WannabeFree

Still catching up so not caught up with you yet but hope you had a lovely afternoon

x

in_need_of_direction

I go to the dentist for a clean and polish every six months and get change back from a tenner each time

Cherryfudge

Nice to see you, Wannabe. Please don't feel you have to read all my ramblings, I know you have lots of other things to do. Thank you for popping in.

INOD, right, it would obviously benefit me to move to Ireland! I am being ripped off here. Even the cheaper dentist that DH goes to charges a lot more than that.

We didn't do anything very exciting with the afternoon. DH isn't feeling too good so we had a wander round a DIY store looking at counter tops for the kitchen. I then spotted an amazing, wonderful, must-have larder unit that I love. We have an old fashioned walk-in larder that you can't actually walk into as the fridge freezer has to fit in there and I've long thought that a smaller fridge freezer under the stairs would give me better access, and now I'm thinking I seriously want this awesome, gorgeous, beautiful larder unit. It's a great piece of design and has very clever lighting built in. I have warned the sales assistant that if it isn't there on Monday, I've run off with it. I don't think she really believed me, possibly because it's a lot bigger than I am and I didn't even ask the price.

Sigh.

We did buy groceries, but it looks as though we are just in budget as DH paid. I think that leaves roughly a fiver from £80 total allowance this week, but as I'd made it £70 between us recently, I'm not really on target.

I walked back by moonlight with a lovely crispness to the air, which I really enjoyed. Truly, the little things are the big things. I also had a new ironing board cover, so I feel indulgent.

Spending:
Housekeeping... Dh paid.
Household £3.99
MS:
Added fluffy insoles to my slippers to help me not to turn the heating up too much. Really nice!
Took the hint from the lady at the eco shop that pine nuts are likely to be more expensive than usual till about March, and bought moderately (DH paid ).
Shopped around for ironing board cover: £10 in Arg0s, £3.99 in local shop.
Decluttering:
1 jar to the eco shop, donated some unused mince to DS2, dried bread soaked and out for the birds.

Tonight I'm grateful for a beautiful moonlit walk back from town, dry weather, watching an interesting documentary with DH and warm insoles in my slippers!

in_need_of_direction

did you measure the unit? Will it fit in the space?